


where lifelong friendships were made

by wolfstarsgalaxy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: fuck snape all my homies hate snape, the marauders all meet for the first time!!, there's a tiny bit of jily and wolfstar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26004556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfstarsgalaxy/pseuds/wolfstarsgalaxy
Summary: the marauders start their journey as first year students at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. the hogwarts express

James Potter let out a small sigh as he sat down in an empty compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express. The boy had just said his goodbyes to his parents, and as much as he would miss him, he was excited to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

The eleven year old looked out of the glass window of the door leading to the hallway, seeing students walking and running to find the perfect place to sit for the long ride on the train. He smiled at kids going by, glancing into the compartment as they passed; James was hoping someone would join him.

By the time the train had started to leave the station, however, no one had joined James in his compartment. 

James turned toward the window, trees and sky coming into his view. The boy soon let his gaze drop to the floor, his black, messy hair falling in front of his glasses. After a while, James kicked his feet up on the seat next to him, laying his head back against the wall.

The boy closed his eyes, and shortly after, he heard the compartment door open, someone knocking quietly on the glass as they did so. James’s hazel eyes met grey ones and he smiled. “May I join you?” the newcomer asked. “Or would you like to be alone?”

“No, no! Come sit!” James moved his feet off of the seat next to him and gestured to all of the open seats in the compartment. While the other boy made himself comfortable in the seat across from him, James took in his appearance. The boy had a pale complexion, which went well with his grey eyes and black hair. His dark hair went a little past his ears, soft curls brushing the nape of his neck.

“So!” James clapped his hands. “I feel like we should introduce ourselves. My name’s James! James Potter.”

“I’m Sirius Black,” the boy replied, holding out his hand for James to shake. James raised an eyebrow, but took Sirius’s hand anyways. The pale boy noticed the other’s eyebrow raise, and pulled his hand back. “I’m sorry. Do others not shake hands when they meet? I’ve always been taught to do that…”

“It’s okay! I don’t really shake hands with people, but it’s fine that you do! I just wasn’t expecting it, I guess.”

“Alright…” Sirius’s grey eyes focused on his shoes for a bit, and then he met James’s eyes once more. “Are you in your first year as well?”

James’s hazel eyes brightened, and he nodded his head excitedly. “Yeah! Do you know what house you want to be in? I know I want to be in Gryffindor! Everyone in my family has been in it, and I think it’d be really cool to be in the same house, too! I wouldn’t be too upset if I got into another house, though. The Sorting Hat gets to decide, and if it puts me into a different house, oh well! But seriously, getting into Gryffindor is something I  _ really  _ want. My parents would be really proud of me if I got into the same house they did. Well, they’d be proud of me no matter what house I get into, but my point still stands! Plus, how awesome would it be to have a lion for a house mascot? Gryffindor is the house of the brave and determined, and on top of that, you get a  _ lion  _ representing you. A lion!”

Sirius looked at James with a blank stare, and suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. “You really like to talk, don’t you?” The other boy’s dark skin flushed, before he too started laughing.

“Well, in that case,” James started speaking again once they had quieted, “what about you? What house do you want to be in?”

The pale boy opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the compartment door opening once more.

A boy with tan skin, bright blue eyes, and blonde hair stood there, fidgeting with his luggage. “Hi, I’m sorry if I was interrupting something, but I was wondering if I could join you two?” he spoke in a small voice. James and Sirius looked at each other, and the boy looked from one to the other. “It’s alright if I can’t, I just thought that…”

Sirius nodded at James, and they turned toward the boy, who had barely stepped a foot into the compartment. “Come sit down! The more, the merrier!” James smiled. “I’m James Potter, by the way.” 

Sirius bowed his head slightly. “I’m Sirius Black.”

The blue eyed boy smiled as he put his stuff down and sat next to James. “Peter Pettigrew. Thanks for letting me sit with you guys. I would’ve sat in the compartment before this one, but the boy was reading and I didn’t want to be a distraction to him,” Peter leaned in a bit closer before speaking again. “Well, that and the fact that he seems a bit intimidating.”

The other boys chuckled softly at Peter’s words. Sirius decided to focus back on the conversation he and James were having before Peter had joined them. “The two of us are going into first year. Are you as well?” Peter nodded. “In that case, do you know what house you want to be in? James here already said he wants to be in Gryffindor.”

Peter interlaced his fingers and set them in his lap. “I think I’d like to be in Gryffindor, too. My dad was one when he went to Hogwarts, and I think it’d be a nice way to honor him, I guess, seeing as he’s not here anymore.”

“Oh,” James breathed out. “I’m sorry about your dad, Peter. I’m sure he’d be proud of you no matter what happens.”

“Thank you, James,” Peter looked at the boy and smiled. “Anyways, if I don’t get into Gryffindor, I’ll probably be a Hufflepuff. My mum was a Hufflepuff when she attended, and she says I’ve got the right traits to be one as well.”

“Alright,” James spoke, “so Peter and I want to be in Gryffindor, but what about you, Sirius? Do you know what house you want to be in?”

“Well,” Sirius let out a laugh, but one that wasn’t filled with any happiness or joy, “it’s more like what house I  _ have  _ to be in. Everyone in my family is a Slytherin, and they expect everyone in each generation to be one as well. No one has ever been in a house other than Slytherin, and with how my family is, I don’t wish to find out.”

The other two boys stared at him, before James decided to speak up. “That’s… kinda terrible, mate. I couldn’t even imagine being practically forced into a certain house…” Peter nodded in agreement.

“That’s not even the worst of it,” the black haired boy scoffed. “A few months ago, I questioned my family as to why we can’t associate with those who aren’t purebloods, and my mother pulled me into another room and scolded me for even asking the question. She had slapped the back of my hand and told me how they’re all below us.”

James’s eyes grew wide and he let out a deep breath. Peter looked down at the ground. 

“Well,” Peter spoke in the same voice as when he had asked the two boys if he could join them, “if being friends with anyone who isn’t a pureblood is a problem, I can leave. I’m a half-blood, and I don’t want you to get into trouble because of me.”

“No, no!” Sirius almost shouted. “I want to talk to you. I want to be friends with you, Peter.  _ Both _ of you.”

“If you say so,” Peter almost whispered in response.

“Hey, I mean it,” Sirius let out a small chuckle and leaned in toward the boys across from him. “And besides, who says my family has to know?”

James, who had stayed silent during the conversation, smirked and laughed softly. “I like you already. Well, both of you, obviously. And, while we’re kinda talking about blood status, I’m a pureblood. My family doesn’t really care about that, though.”

The pale boy with dark hair stayed quiet for a minute, before speaking up once more. “Is it bad that my family thinks like that?”

James sighed. “I mean,  _ loads _ of pureblood families think like that, but I wouldn’t say it’s a good thing, really.”

Sirius leaned back in his seat and turned his head toward the window. “Yeah… I suppose you’re right…”

Peter pulled one of his legs onto his seat, his blue eyes darting back and forth between the two purebloods. After seeing neither of them knew how to move on from that topic, the boy tried to change the subject himself. “Alright, now that we’ve talked about all of _that_ , is there anything you guys are really looking forward to?”

“Ooh! Yes, yes!” James smiled brightly and clapped his hands together, before adjusting his glasses, wrapping one arm around Peter’s shoulders, and resting a hand on Sirius’s knee. “What are your guys’ thoughts on Quidditch?” 


	2. the boats

James, Sirius, and Peter had spent the rest of the train ride talking about everything they were looking forward to at Hogwarts. When the train had finally stopped and they were directed to the boats for first years, the boys eagerly sat in one together, hoping another person would join them as well. 

Their wish was granted, as a boy with straight, black hair down to his shoulders joined them. He stepped onto the boat and took a seat, but his dark eyes were focused on a red haired girl on the boat next to theirs. The girl, however, didn’t notice, and was instead talking to a boy with brown hair that had a slight curl to it.

“Hi!” James greeted, forcing the stranger’s gaze on the other three boys on the boat. “Welcome to our humble a-boat!”

Sirius and Peter let out small laughs at the joke, while the other boy just raised an eyebrow.

“Did you get it?” James asked. “See, it’s like-”

“Yes,” the boy snapped, “I got your stupid joke.”

“Oh. Okay,” the dark skinned boy let his smile drop as he mumbled his response. Peter put a hand on one of James’s knees, leaning in to whisper something to him. The boy with glasses let out a small chuckle as he muttered a quiet “thank you” to the blonde.

“Alright,” Sirius spoke up as the boat began to shift away from the shore, “moving on from that joke, my name’s Sirius Black.”

“I’m James Potter!” Said boy had smiled at the quiet boy once more, and held out his hand for him to shake, like how Sirius had done on the train. This boy, however, didn’t take his hand. “Y-You’re supposed to take my hand and shake it…”

The boy glared at James in response.

“Aaand my name’s Peter Pettigrew,” the blonde boy spoke while gently pushing James’s outstretched hand back to his side. “What’s your name?”

“Severus Snape,” the dark haired boy grumbled.

“Well, Severus,” Sirius started, “do you know what house you’d like to be in? We already discussed this on the train, but we don’t mind talking about it again.”

“Yeah!” James’s face lit up once more. “I personally really want to be in Gryffindor! It’s the h-”

Severus scoffed. “Of course  _ you’d _ want to be in that house.”

“Uhm… What’s that supposed to mean?” Peter spoke in a quiet voice. “I’d like to be in Gryffindor as well.”

“Gryffindor is the house for reckless losers,” he glared at each of the other boys as he spoke. “It makes sense that you lot would want to get sorted there.”

The three other boys looked at him with shock. James started to say something, but stumbled over his words instead.

“And you,” Severus turned to face Sirius, “I know your family. One of the best in the wizarding world. Your parents would be terribly disappointed to know that you’re making friends with blood traitors and mudbloods.”

James’s expression twisted into one of anger. “How dare you say that word! Do you know how terrible it is to say that?”

Severus just scoffed in response.

Peter had noticed that Sirius had gone tense because of Snape’s words, so he reached across the boat, laid a hand on the other boy’s knee, and muttered to him under his breath. “He’s just trying to get under your skin. Don’t listen to him, Sirius.”

“Honestly, I’d pity any muggleborn who gets to know you, especially with you referring to them as  _ that _ . Anyone, and I mean  _ anyone _ , would be lucky to have Sirius, Peter, and myself as friends,” James had continued to speak, before pausing to think for a second. “You said your name was Severus, right?”

Snape, despite the scowl painted on his face, nodded.

“In that case, have fun making some friends,  _ Snivellus _ . With how you’ve been acting toward us, I wouldn’t doubt if others don’t want to be your friend, either,” James let out a breath before focusing his attention back on his two new friends. “Okay, so if the three of us get sorted into the same house-”

Sirius was about to speak up, but James held a finger out to him.

“Again,  _ if _ we all get put into the same house, I call the bed in between you guys in our dormitory.”

Peter laughed. “Is there any reason for this?”

“Not really, I guess. I just want to be by both of my friends,” he looked at the other two hesitantly. “That’s what we are, right? Are the three of us friends?”

“Mate, with everything we talked about on the Hogwarts Express,” Peter started, “I think we can safely say that we’re friends.”

“Yeah,” Sirius chuckled, “considering we were told about how you fell off your first toy broom into-”

“Yes, yes, I get it!” James’s dark complexion started to flush, causing his friends’ laughter to become even louder.

The three boys continued to talk, which most likely annoyed Severus to no end, seeing how the boy kept scoffing and grunting when they got louder. 

Eventually, they could see Hogwarts in the distance, and they grew completely silent, taking in the sight of their new home. 

  
  



	3. the sorting ceremony

Once all of the first years had stepped out of their boats, Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts who had directed the first years to the boats in the first place, had led the new students up a flight of steps that had a huge, oak door at the top.

“Is everyone here?” Hagrid turned and looked at all of the students, before nodding to himself and knocking on the door. 

The door opened and they were met with the sight of a tall, black haired witch. Her robes were an elegant green, and her stern face made a few students step back. 

“Professor McGonagall,” Hagrid gestured to the students, “the firs’ years.”

The woman smiled softly and nodded her head. “Thank you, Hagrid. I shall take them from here.”

She turned on her heel and opened the door wider, and the students followed her into the entrance hall. McGonagall led them to a small, empty chamber and started to speak once all the first years were huddled together.

“Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but you will be sorted into your Houses before you take your seat in the Great Hall. The Sorting is a very important ceremony, seeing as your House will be something like your family here at Hogwarts.”

Sirius leaned in to whisper to James and Peter, no one really paying mind to them, seeing as they were at the back of the group. “If our Houses are supposed to be like our families, then I want out.”

Peter let out a small chuckle and James was about to respond, before a girl with fiery red hair turned around and spoke quietly. “We’re supposed to be paying attention.”

James squinted his hazel eyes at her green ones, as if challenging her. “Then why aren’t you?”

The girl scoffed and turned back around, but not before the boys could see a small smile form on her face. The three returned their attention back to McGonagall. 

“The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the rest of the school in just a few minutes. I shall return here when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly.” 

As soon as the professor left the chamber, the first years broke into quiet chatter. 

After a few seconds of thinking, James stepped forward and tapped the red haired girl on the shoulder. She turned towards him and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure how my comment from a while ago came off, so I just wanted to apologize if it came off as mean,” the boy spoke quickly, his gaze falling to the floor, and the girl blinked at him before letting out a small laugh.

“No, no, I thought it was rather funny, actually. It’s okay.”

James lifted his head, and once their eyes met, the girl turned around quickly. She stepped forward and grabbed onto another student’s elbow, and the boys realized that it was Severus.

Peter suddenly started talking, but only Sirius was listening, as James’s eyes were still focused on the girl. She slowly looked back at him, catching his gaze, and giving him a small smile. James smiled back nervously, which he swore made her smile a bit more before she turned her head again and started talking to Snape. 

James eventually turned his attention back to his two friends. “What are we talking about now?”

Peter just pointed at some kids not far away from them, and Sirius spoke for him. “One of the kids over there is the one Peter would’ve sat on the train with, and the others aren’t being too nice to him.”

“Wait, the one he said was scary or whatever?”

“Yep,” Peter finally spoke up, although his eyes were still fixed on the other kids. “And I said he was intimidating, not scary.”

“Same difference,” James rolled his eyes slightly before listening in to what the other group of students were saying. 

The majority of them were smirking and chuckling, while a boy with dark hair was talking. “I mean, what are you? A filthy mudblood?”

The group burst into laughter at that, and James could sense that Sirius went tense when that sentence was said. 

The comment was directed at the boy Peter almost sat with on the train. He had slightly curly brown hair, along with light green eyes and what looked like a few small scars littered on his cheeks. The boy had initially looked pale, as if he were sick, but his face gained some color as he calmly replied to the boy.

“Whether I’m a muggleborn, half-blood, or pureblood doesn’t matter. I’ll still know more about magic than a posh wank stain like you.” 

The other boy stumbled over his words, not knowing how to reply, while the pale boy smirked at him, his green eyes glinting with a hint of mischief. In that moment, James, Sirius, and Peter could practically feel the confidence radiating off of him.

Still not knowing what to say, the boy pushed his way through students to get away from his fellow first year, who had gone from smirking to glaring at the others who had laughed at him with a frown.

Peter turned toward his friends, mouth slightly hanging open, before speaking in a quiet voice. “You guys heard what he said, too, right?”

“Yeah,” James breathed out while Sirius continued to look at the boy in awe. “Merlin that was good.”

The boys stayed quiet for a second, before Peter spoke once more. “Y’know what? I feel like he would fit well with us.”

James hummed in response, while Sirius finally spoke, shaking his head slightly, eyes still fixed on that other boy. “There’s no way he’d want to be friends with us. Peter was right; he  _ does _ look a bit intimidating, and knowing he can come back at someone like that without hesitation…”

The other two boys thought for a second, before nodding their heads in agreement.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“Although,” James raised a finger, “while we might not be able to be his friend, we could possibly be in a few classes with him.”

“Or even the same dorm room!” Peter chimed in.

“Right, of course,” Sirius quickly said, finally looking away from the boy and at his friends. “Well-”

“Alright,” Professor McGonagall re-entered the room, “the Sorting Ceremony is about to begin. Now, form a line, and follow me.”

The witch led the first years into the Great Hall, where the new students looked in amazement at the floating candles all around and the ceiling which shined like the night sky. Returning Hogwarts students sat at four different tables, looking at the first years with excitement, ready to gain more people for their House, as well as other professors, sitting at a staff table at the front of the hall. 

McGonagall and the first year students gathered near the staff table, the line of students turning into a group once more. The professor had set a four-legged stool in front of them, and on top of said stool was an old, dirty wizard’s hat. 

A silence washed over the Great Hall, before the hat started to sing.

All of the new students listened to every word that came from it, except for Sirius. The boy hesitantly looked over at the Slytherin table, spotting his cousin, Narcissa. She was the only one of his close family members left at Hogwarts, as she was in her fifth year and her older sisters, Andromeda and Bellatrix, had already graduated. Even though Narcissa was fairly nice to him, Sirius knew she wouldn’t hesitate to tell his parents about anything bad he does. 

Sirius was about to turn his attention back to the hat, but kept his gaze on Narcissa as she looked in his direction. She gave the eleven year old a small smile, her blue eyes holding some warmth. The boy tried to return her smile, but he looked away when he couldn’t bring himself to. 

The whole hall started applauding as the hat finished its song, but Sirius just stared ahead of himself, catching the attention of the boy from earlier. He was clapping along with everyone, but he looked at Sirius with concern shining in his green eyes. Sirius assumed he noticed how he had nervously looked at the Slytherin table and how he seemed anxious. 

The boys’ shared look was broken when Professor McGonagall spoke, holding a long roll of parchment. 

“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted.”

She called the name of a boy whose last name started with A, and Sirius assumed it was going in alphabetical order, meaning he was most likely next. 

“RAVENCLAW!” the hat bellowed, and the boy made his way toward the Ravenclaw table, students dressed in robes of blue. 

“Black, Sirius!”

The boy tensed in his spot before slowly making his way to the front, James and Peter patting him on the shoulder and back and whispering “good luck” to him. Sirius sat on the stool, and felt the Sorting Hat be placed on top of his head. 

“Another Black, eh? I was wondering when we’d get more,” the hat spoke into his ear. “Now let’s see… You’ve got the ambition like the rest of your family, and the pride along with it. You’d make a good Slytherin…”

Sirius gripped the fabric of his robes in his fists, all while thinking,  _ “Please don’t make me like them.” _

The Sorting Hat paused for a moment, before speaking once more. “I  _ can _ see a great deal of bravery and courage. Determination, too. Well, if not Slytherin, better be GRYFFINDOR!”

McGonagall raised the hat off of Sirius’s head, and the boy slowly stood up. As he walked toward the Gryffindor table, the sounds of cheering seemed muted to the eleven year old, his hands starting to shake as he kept glancing at the Slytherins, Narcissa staring at him with a look he couldn’t identify. 

He sat down at the table, and he looked at the boy next to him, a scared expression definitely evident on his face.

The other boy smiled at him. “Hi! My name’s Frank Longbottom. I’m a second year, so I’m still kinda new to all of this as well, but welcome to Gryffindor, Sirius. We’re happy to have you in our house.”

Sirius, despite being shaken up still, managed to smile at the older, who seemed to practically radiate kindness. 

More and more students got sorted, including Lily Evans, the red haired girl from earlier. The girl got sorted into Gryffindor as well, and she sat across from Sirius, whispering excitedly with the second year girl next to her. 

“Lupin, Remus!”

The pale boy from earlier stepped forward, sitting on the stool and nervously looking at Professor McGonagall as she placed the Sorting Hat on his head. 

After a short while, the hat made its decision. 

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Remus stood up and walked quickly to his house’s table, wanting to get out of everyone’s view. He sat down next to Lily and nervously looked across the table at Sirius.

“I suppose we share the same dorm now,” Sirius said with a small smile.

“Yeah…” Remus averted his gaze and looked back toward the Sorting Hat. 

After Remus, three more students were sorted into Gryffindor: Mary Macdonald, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadowes. The girls immediately sat next to Lily, Remus having moved down so they could all sit right next to each other. Sirius had considered asking Remus if he wanted to sit next to him, but he assumed it’d be way too late for the boy to switch sides of the table, so he stayed silent instead, looking toward James and Peter, both who were yet to be sorted. 

“Pettigrew, Peter!”

The boy jumped slightly, not expecting his name to be called by McGonagall next. James rested his hands on each of his shoulders, whispering a few words to him, before shaking Peter lightly and gently pushing him toward the front. 

Peter sat on the four-legged stool and the professor sat the Sorting Hat on his head. 

Minutes passed, and nothing had happened.

James nervously looked at the Gryffindor table, locking eyes with Sirius, his hazel eyes wide with panic. The boy at the table let his gaze shift to Peter for a quick moment, whose eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, his feet lightly tapping one of the stool’s legs. All Sirius could do was shrug, and James turned back toward the blonde boy, nervously running a hand through his dark hair. 

After a little over five minutes of Peter sitting on the stool in the front of the Great Hall, the Sorting Hat finally made its decision.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Sirius beamed as the house name was called, delighted that one of his friends will be with him. Peter quickly got up to join the black haired boy at the table. 

“I thought I was never gonna get sorted!” Peter exclaimed quietly, Sirius letting out a laugh. 

“Potter, James!”

James’s grin was wide as he sat down on the stool. With the hat still on his head, he looked at his friends with hopeful eyes.

The boy’s smile grew impossibly wider as the Sorting Hat shouted out, “GRYFFINDOR!”

After the hat was taken off of his head by McGonagall, James practically ran to Gryffindor table, excited to join his friends.

“I can’t believe it!” he exclaimed as he sat down in between Sirius and Peter. “I can’t believe we all got into the same house!”

“This is amazing!” Peter exclaimed, and Sirius hummed in agreement, quickly glancing at the Slytherin table once more. 

“Hey!” James had directed his attention toward Remus, waving at the brown haired boy. The boy his attention was directed at looked at him, and shyly waved back. Remus quickly looked back to the front of the room, and Sirius saw him draw in a shaky, deep breath, as if he was nervous. 

The Sorting Ceremony had finished up, the only other student the boys recognized being Severus, who unsurprisingly got into Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore, who is the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had stood up and made a quick speech before the feast began. 

Once the man was finished speaking, food appeared on each of the house tables, students and staff alike filling their plates as much as they could. Ghosts came into the Great Hall, chatting with students and with one another. 

James, Sirius, and Peter talked, smiles wide as the time flew by. The boy that sat next to Sirius, Frank, had talked to the boys as well, telling them all he could about their first year classes and Hogwarts as a whole. The girls across the table talked much more than the boys did, the second year girl next to them, Alice, only encouraging them more. 

Out of everyone at the table, Remus Lupin was the quietest, sitting at the end of the table next to the girls and exchanging words with the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick. The ghost only talked with the boy for a while, before floating off down the table and conversing with other students. 

Sirius noticed the boy picking at his food, nervously glancing at the girls next to him and the other boys as well. The two locked eyes once more, and Remus’s face grew slightly red and he immediately looked down at his food. Sirius smiled softly, wondering how he was so outspoken to that boy earlier, but now can’t even look at anyone without getting nervous. 

After the feast was over, Dumbledore made another quick speech before students were sent off to bed. All Gryffindor students followed the house’s prefects to Gryffindor Tower, where they were greeted with the portrait of the Fat Lady. The portrait asked for the password, which the two prefects said in unison, their voices loud and clear so everyone could hear them. 

All of the Gryffindor students entered, kids in second year and up all heading to their dormitories, save for the two prefects, while the first years huddled in the common room.

The prefects talked for a quick moment, before leading them to what would be their dorms for the next seven years. 

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus entered their dorm and saw their individual luggage in front of four separate beds. James had run toward his bed, and flopped onto it, his laughter muffled by his pillows. Peter let out a joyous laugh as he did the same, jumping onto his own bed that was placed next to the dark boy’s. Sirius smiled and walked to his bed, sitting down facing his two friends, while Remus walked to his trunk and grabbed night clothes. 

“Hey, at least my wish came true!” James rolled onto his back, his grin wide as he spoke. “I get to sleep in between you guys!” 

Sirius smiled at him before turning toward the brown haired boy, who was now making his way toward the bathroom in their dorm room. “Remus? That’s your name, right?”

The boy’s hand jumped on the door handle to the bathroom, and he turned to look at the long haired boy. “Y-Yeah. Remus. That’s me.”

Sirius smiled. “How about you stay out here for a while? You can always change in a little bit.”

“Oh, uhm,” Remus looked down at the floor, slowly inching himself into the bathroom, “I’m not feeling the greatest, to be quite honest. I just kinda want to change and go to bed, if you boys don’t mind.”

“No, not at all!” James was quick to reply.

“If you need to get some rest, go ahead! Classes start tomorrow, but I’m sure we’ll have time to talk more on Saturday! Sunday as well!” Peter followed up James’s statement. 

Remus went stiff at the mention of Saturday, and just chuckled nervously. “Maybe…”

And with that, the boy left the other three. 

“I suppose we should get changed as well,” Sirius sighed, standing up and walking toward his luggage at the end of his bed. “Early day tomorrow.”

James groaned and turned onto his stomach again, rising to his hands and knees and just crawling toward the end of his bed, opening his trunk and pulling pajamas out to change into. Peter had simply rolled off his bed, landing on the floor with a loud thump. He stood up quickly before retrieving his own clothes. 

The three boys had simply changed where they were, not bothering to change in the bathroom like Remus had, and they continued to talk about how excited they were to be at Hogwarts.

Remus exited the bathroom not long after he entered, walking to the end of his bed and placing his folded clothes on top of his trunk. He stayed silent, trying to drown out the sound from the other boys, the headache he had from the upcoming moon making everything sound ten times louder than it actually was. 

The boy quietly got under his bed covers and situated the pillows by the headboard. 

“Going to bed, Remus?”

Remus shyly looked at James, who had asked him the question. “Yeah… You guys can keep talking, though! Don’t stop because of me.”

“No, no, I think you’ve got the right idea,” Sirius spoke, getting into bed himself. “It’d be good for us all to get rest now.”

James and Peter nodded into agreement, tucking themselves in, before James spoke again. “And Remus? I’m not sure if it’s because of us, but you seem a bit nervous? If it’s because of us, I just want to apologize. We-”

“No!” the boy raised his voice slightly before lowering it again. “No, you guys are fine, honestly. I just… I’ve never really been around kids my age or had friends before, so this is all quite new to me.”

“It’s okay!” Peter piped up from the other end of the room, only being directly next to James. “We’ll be here! The four of us will be great friends, I know it.”

“Yeah!” James nodded, taking his glasses off and setting them on a side table between his own bed and Sirius’s. “We’ll be an unstoppable group of friends, the four of us.”

“Hogwarts better look out and be prepared!” Sirius joined in, laughing softly.

“I’m sure we will be, but for now, I think  _ we _ need to prepare for Hogwarts before it prepares for us,” Remus smiled and laid down, his back facing the three other boys. 

“Goodnight guys!” Peter said through a yawn, laying down in his bed and closing his eyes.

Half of James’s face was already buried in his pillows, so his “Goodnight!” sounded like a bunch of gibberish to the other boys. 

Sirius looked at the other three boys laying down before laying down on his back, staring into the darkness. His head flopped to the left, seeing Remus’s still figure, and then to the right, James’s legs moving around a bit and light snores already coming from Peter. He smiled fondly at the boys before closing his eyes. 

  
_ “Maybe Professor McGonagall was right,” _ he thought to himself as he drifted off. “ _ Maybe this place _ will  _ be like an actual family.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i usually don't include chapter notes on here, but oh well!! i just wanted to quickly say that remus's introduction in this chapter was inspired by a textpost i saw on tumblr!! sadly i don't know who made the post, so i unfortunately don't have specific credit for this idea, if you want to call it that. i just figured i should give as much credit as i can, though, seeing how that wasn't 100% my idea :))


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